The answers, really, have been similar to the ones uttered during any Aaron Judge slump of any length in any season. That he’s Judge. That there are no worries. That it’s only just a matter of when he’ll start producing again.
But Judge has been stuck in a rough stretch at the worst time for a struggling Yankees offense, hitting just .211 — and, most glaringly, zero extra-base hits — in six games since returning from his right elbow flexor strain.
When combined with the eight before his 10-day absence, Judge has gone 8-for-47 with 19 strikeouts across 14 games, serving as his second slump since June arrived and the historic early-season tear simmered.
This one, according to hitting coach James Rowson, revolves around timing.
“He’s up there getting his timing back, getting his tempo back, and each day, he’s just getting a little bit closer to getting to that spot,” Rowson told The Post before Judge went 1-for-4 with an RBI single and two strikeouts during the Yankees’ 6-2 win over the Twins on Monday.
When asked about his swing Sunday, Judge responded with, “There’s always room for improvement.” It’s the same thought he’d have after a 3-for-4 game, he said.
Still, a chunk of this recent skid has occurred when he’s only able to serve as the designated hitter because it doesn’t result in elbow pain — which has prevented him from playing right field as he works through a throwing program.
Judge won’t return to the outfield during the Minnesota series, manager Aaron Boone said.
He strung together singles in three consecutive games, including a clutch one to tie the game in the sixth inning Friday.
He drove a single into left field in the seventh Monday to give the Yankees an insurance run. But Judge’s power, the anchor for his 37 homers and 87 RBIs in 2025, has temporarily disappeared.
“I never think it’s far off with Aaron,” Boone said. “And I think that’s the case right now. I think it’s a matter of time before he goes on one of those Aaron runs and kinda can carry the group a little bit.”
Still, in the eyes of Rowson, “It’s just a guy trying to find his groove again.” Those things happen, he added, and Judge’s absence marked his longest since missing nearly two months in 2023 after running into the Dodger Stadium fence and injuring his toe.
The optics surrounding this latest slump — the elbow injury, the lineup that has only powered its way to three wins in 10 games, the spiraling season — don’t help, though.
“You do have those times where maybe it’s not going the way you want it and you’re not winning consistently so you’re trying to do a little too much,” Rowson said, “but I don’t really anticipate where he’s at lasting too long. I think he’s gonna start having the good at-bats that we expect and start getting back to where he normally goes.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
